This file is viewed best in a font, like courier,
in which all characters are the same width.
I don't remember who wrote the memo in Kryptos.txt,
so I can't express my appreciation adequately.
There are three files in this set:
Kryptos.txt - this file, with the CIA note.
CIA_clue.txt - Kryptos text with CIA separations
Kryptos.bmp - a photograph of the Sanborn
sculpture at CIA Headquarters
The photograph is of a transparent sculpture, with
the text on one side and the Vigenere table on the
other.
Perhaps some member of the KREWE can solve the
KRYPTOS inscription and share it (and the method
of solution) with the rest of us.
----------------
Anonymous memo:
Recently, out of a sudden curiosity an ACA-er
called CIA Public Affairs and asked if there were
any insights on the Sanborn sculpture at
Langley they'd care to disclose to an
inquiring citizen. The woman who answered
the phone said, "No, I can't say anything but,
if you send me your name and address we can send
you something." The ACA-er felt a tad paranoic but gave
her the info and waited for the guys in the rubber-
soled shoes. Instead, two days later two
pages arrived in the mail which said a bit about the
sculpture and gave the complete (and presumably)
accurate cipher(s).
There were no warnings regarding further
dissemination. Since there does not seem to be ANY ACA
reference giving the entire cipher, this
might be information worth passing along. It seems there
are no problems with ACA foreign
members seeing this info as it was sent via
US postal in an unclassified form.
Below is the item (typed entirely).
************************************************************
Dec 1996
from: (through US postal channels)
CIA
Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20505
phone number (703)-482-1100
they won't discuss it over the phone!
just ask for "available information on KRYPTOS sculpture"
--------------------------------------------------------------
SANBORN SCULPTURE
The Art of Cryptography
KRYPTOS, that peculiar sculpture in the court-
yard area of the headquarters complex, has raised
many eyebrows and questions ever since its installa-
tion. Undoubtedly its most intriguing aspect is the
riddle of its hidden message. What could it be?
Though few persons other than the author know
the answer for certain, many have contemplated the
question. We would like to pass on what knowledge
we have gained from our cryptanalysis regarding the
message.
It is probable, from analysis of the letter distribu-
tion, that at least four separate systems of encryption
have been employed: Digraphic, Poly-alphabetic,
Transposition, and One-Time-Pad.
The first of these, Digraphic substitution, is
guessed to be applicable from "EMUFPH..." to "...
GWHKK?". Thus method substitutes two letters for
one letter, or even a whole syllable or word (e.g.,
JK=g, or FE=ible).
The Polyalphabetic system appears to be used
with the text extending from approximately "DQM-
CPF..." up to "...JLLAETG". In this system, mul-
tiple alphabets (we suspect four or eight) are used to
substitute different letters for the same letters in the
origina l text. For example, an "F" may be translated
into an "R" one time, and then as an "M" another time, and
as a "D" a third time.
"ENDYAHR..." through "TVDOHW?" is
guessed to incorporate a transposition system, also
known as a permutation. This is a system in which
the letters in the original message are mixed up
according to a predefined rule. Often, the message is
arranged into a matrix, say, reading left to right; then,
the message is output reading down the colunms. (See
example next page.) Perhaps a matrix system in
which the length of the columns are multiples of
eleven or thirteen has been used for this section of the
message.
|-------------------------------------|
| The KRYPTOS Inscription |
| |
| EMUFPHZLRFAXYUSDJKZLDKRNSHGNFIVJ |
| YQTQUXQBQVYUVLLTREVJYQTMKYRDMFD |
| VFPJUDEEHZWETZYVGWHKKQETGFQJNCE |
| GGWHKK?DQMCPFQZDQMMIAGPFXHQRLG |
| TIMVMZJANQLVKQEDAGDVFRPJUNGEUNA |
| QZGZLECGYUXUEENJTBJLBQCRTBJDFHRR |
| YIZETKZEMVDUFKSJHKFWHKUWQLSZFTI |
| HHDDDUVH?DWKBFUFPWNTDFIYCUQZERE |
| EVLDKFEZMOQQJLTTUGSYQPFEUNLAVIDX |
| FLGGTEZ?FKZBSFDQVGOGIPUFXHHDRKF |
| FHQNTGPUAECNUVPDJMQCLQUMUNEDFQ |
| ELZZVRRGKFFVOEEXBDMVPNFQXEZLGRE |
| DNQFMPNZGLFLPMRJQYALMGNUVPDXVKP |
| DQUMEBEDMHDAFMJGZNUPLGEWJLLAETG |
| ENDYAHROHNLSRHEOCPTEOIBIDYSHNAIA |
| CHTNREYULDSLLSLLNOHSNOSMRWXMNE |
| TPRNGATIHNRARPESLNNELEBLPIIACAE |
| WMTWNDITEENRAHCTENEUDRETNHAEOE |
| TFOLSEDTIWENHAEIOYTEYQHEENCTAYCR |
| EIFTBRSPAMHHEWENATAMATEGYEERLB |
| TEEFOASFIOTUETUAEOTOARMAEERTNRTI |
| BSEDDNIAAHTTMSTEWPIEROAGRIEWFEB |
| AECTDDHILCEIHSITEGOEAOSDDRYDLORIT |
| RKLMLEHAGTDHARDPNEOHMGFMFEUHE |
| ECDMRIPFEIMEHNLSSTTRTVDOHW?OBKR |
| UOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVQQPRNGKSSO |
| TWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBNYP |
| VTTMZFPKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCAR |
|-------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
| Example of a Columnar Transposition |
| |
| Original message: "Cryptography is a useful tool for |
| information protection" |
| |
| 7x7 Matrix: C R Y P T O G |
| R A P H Y I S |
| A U S E F U L |
| T O O L F O R |
| I N F O R M A |
| T I O N P R O |
| T E C T I O N |
| |
| Encrypted message: "CRATI TTRAU ONIEY |
| PSOPO CPHEL ONTTY FFRPI OIUOM |
| ROGSL RAONX" |
| (made by reading down the columns, then breaking |
| into 5-letter blocks. The last "X" is an arbitrary filler |
| so the last group will also have 5 letters.) |
| |
|------------------------------------------------------------|
Finally, the part of the message from
"OBKRUO..." to the end may make use of a one-
time system. Essentially, every character in the orig-
inal message is encrypted using its own unique alpha-
bet. This is a very secure cryptographic system,
because if the alphabets used are selected at random,
there is no pattern to follow for anyone trying to
break the code.
The other half of the sculpture may provide a clue
as to which alphabets are used, however. It is an
arrangement of the alphabet, known as a Vigenere
Square, in which each successive row is shifted one
place to the left (In this case, some of the letters are
shifted in position to spell the word KRYPTOS), with
reference alphabets along the top, bottom, and side.
Though used in many ways, this table is very often
used for one-time-pad encryption. For example, if
someone wanted to encrypt the letter "G", and the key
they were using was the letter "F", he would just look
down column "G" to row "F" and would see that "G"
becomes an,'E'. Since there are 26 rows and column
on the Vigenere square, any letter can be encrypted as
any other letter depending on the key used.
There is speculation that the other elements of
Jim Sanborn's sculpture may hold clues to the cipher
used in the message in the courtyard, but there is yet
no proof. You may have noted the dots and dashes on
the metal sheets between the granite slabs in front of
the NHB (New Headquarters Building?) entrance; this is
Morse Code, and there are five phrases: "DIGE TAL
INTERPRETATU", "T IS YOUR POSITION", "VIRTUALLY
INVISIBLE", "SHADOW FORCES", and "LUCID MEMORY".
Also to be found are the letter combinations "SOS"
and "RQ".
In the case of the sculpture, cryptography is
mainly an intriguing oddity; but cryptography has a very
real role in the world of intelligence. (Information
and sources need to be protected, and cryptography
can afford that protection.)
If you decide to tackle the cipher, good luck! We
will attempt to keep you posted on any relevant
developments as they arise.
|---------------------------------|
| The KRYPTOS Vigenere Table |
| |
| /ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD |
| AKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYP |
| BRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPT |
| CYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTO |
| DPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOS |
| ETOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSA |
| FOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSAB |
| GSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABC |
| HABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCD |
| IBCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDE |
| JCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEF |
| KDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFG |
| LEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGH |
| MFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHI |
| NGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJ |
| OHIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJL |
| PIJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLM |
| QJLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMN |
| RLMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQ |
| SMNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQU |
| TNQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUV |
| UQUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVW |
| VUVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWX |
| WVWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZ |
| XWXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZK |
| YXZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKR |
| ZZKRYPTOSABCDEFGHIJLMNQUVWXZKRY |
| /ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD |
|---------------------------------|
/end of file/